Julie Powell Net Worth: Here's How Rich The 'Julie & Julia' Author Was

Author Julie Powell, known for her bestselling memoir "Julie & Julia," which also inspired a movie, has passed away at the age of 49.

Powell's publisher revealed the news Tuesday following the food writer's death on Oct. 26 at her home in Olivebridge, New York. Her husband, Eric Powell, told the New York Times that she had a cardiac arrest.

"'Julie & Julia' became an instant classic and it is with gratitude for her unique voice that we will now remember Julie's dazzling brilliance and originality," Judy Clain, the editor-in-chief of Little, Brown and Co., said in a statement, as quoted by NBC News.

The hit author had a net worth of $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Her widespread success and acclaim came after she decided to pick up her mother's copy of Julia Child's classic cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," during a particularly uninspired and monotonous time in her life. She was nearly 30 years old at the time and working as a secretary when she decided to try out all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook in her tiny New York City kitchen.

While cooking through the recipes, she chronicled the ups and downs of the challenge in a series of blog posts for Salon.com readers that soon became popular, according to Decider. She then turned her experience into the 2005 book, "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen."

The book was turned into the 2009 movie, "Julie & Julia," starring Amy Adams as Powell and Meryl Streep as Child.

Powell came out with her second book in 2009, which was titled "Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession."

The author has also made appearances on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and "The Martha Stewart Show," and has written for different outlets like The New York Times, Bon Appétit and Food & Wine.

She was presented with an honorary degree from Le Cordon Blue in Paris, the same school that Child went to in 1950. She has also received the James Beard Award twice.

"We mourn her loss with her husband Eric and her family," Clain added in her statement. "We are sending our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Julie, whether personally or through the deep connections she forged with readers of her memoirs. She was a brilliant writer and a daring, original person and she will not be forgotten."